Ragan 'Tagrah
, (State of Tagrah, Yermo) |born= 2507 |died= TBA |gender=Male |height=8'2 |weight= |skin= |eyes= Red |allegiance= *Covenant (formerly) *Covenant Separatists |branch= |garrison= *Fleet of Resplendent Valiance (2525-2537) *Eighth Fleet of Infinite Sacrifice (2537) *Fleet of Endless Inferno |unit= *Ilamus Legion‡ (2515-2537) *Otanum Legion (2537-onwards) |rank= *Minor Domo *Major Domo *Ultra Domo *Zealot **Field Master |title= Red Elite, Butcher of Seattle, Hero of Rhododendron, Red Storm |battles= *Battle of Rhododendron *Battle of Bastogne *Battle of New Seattle *Fall of Reach *Battle of Fell Judgment }} Ragan 'Tagrah, once known as Ragan 'Tagrahee before the Great Schism, was a Sangheili warrior of great renown who served throughout the . During the war he was a zealous believer of the Great Journey and an imperious warrior, partaking in dozens of campaigns including the Battle of Rhododendron and the . Through his numerous campaigns Ragan earned a notoriety among the human race. Among the UNSC, Ragan was known widely as the Red Elite but by the end of the war they called him by a different name, the Butcher of Seattle. Among his troops he was better known as the Hero of Rhododendron and the Red Storm. However when the Great Schism erupted the Prophet's lies were revealed and he came to regret his actions during the war and was haunted by memories of it. He remained loyal to his race and fought ferociously as a Separatist against the treacherous Prophets and their Jiralhanae lackeys. After the war Ragan reemerged into the public eye. Determined to atone for his past actions, the former zealot surprised everyone by becoming one of the strongest proponents of peace in the post-war era, becoming an ambassador to humanity as well as one of the most recognizable Sangheili to the human public. Over the years the former zealot worked tirelessly to reconcile the two races. History Early Life Ragan was born in 2507 on the Sangheili homeworld of Sanghelios within the Tagrah Keep in the State of Tagrah. The Tagrahs were a line known for it's strong bloodline who appeared during the Seventh Age of Conflict and their reputation as relentless and ferocious warriors. Like many children, he was raised in a common home to be a warrior and to serve the gods. He and his fellows would be trained under the watchful eye of swordsman Vhagur 'Tagrahee. Ragan's childhood was actually a rather lonely one. He had no brothers nor any uncles. For this he was often isolated during his youth and had did not have many friends for a long time. Back then he was not the strongest of Vhagur Tagrahee's students, not even the top five, but he had qualities that Vhagur quickly spotted. Out of all his pupils, Ragan was by far the most enthusiastic, studious, and attentive. He was not the best fighter among them but he hated losing and learned his lessons faster than any of the others. Once he was old enough he attended a prominent War College in the region and this time gained the recognition and respect of his peers. He became reputed as a tough fighter and excellent duelist, something that he would find many admired. After his training was complete, Ragan graduated with honors in his crèche. His crèche would then be garrisoned with the Ilamus Legion, a fresh unit of which many of his kin from Tagrah would also be assigned to. Early Service Ragan was in the military for little more than a year when word came that the Covenant had encountered another race, "Humans". At first Ragan was excited at the idea of converting a new race into the folds of the Covenant, but he was surprised when he learned that there would be no conversion, instead a unconditional campaign of extermination. Anywhere that they are found they are to be killed to the last and their all signs of their presence cleansed from their worlds. This confused a young Ragan as the Covenant had never refused entry to a race before. But he did not question the Prophets' orders and prepared himself for war. He would be sorely disappointed to learn that while his fleet was mobilized and moved towards the conflict, it would stay in reserve and for several months they would not participate in active combat. He heard stories of the battles raging on the human world of "Harvest", tales of a back and forth battle that left the world in ruins. It irked Ragan that they were not a partaking in the glory. Battle of New Trinidad (2527) Eventually his fleet would receive orders to deploy to a newly discovered human colony called New Trinidad. This campaign would be Ragan's first taste of real combat. Their scouting vessels had discovered a human freighter and upon capturing it pried the location of the planet from it's shipmaster which proved too easy. Battle of Lotus (2528) Battle of Avalon Battle of Rhododendron (2538) Five months after the glassing of Avalon, Ilamus Legion was transferred to the recently formed Eighth Fleet of Infinite Sacrifice and attached to the battlecruiser Commitment and Compunction, under the overall command of a unusually young and recently promoted Fleet Master by the name of Hora 'Wattinree, of the noble lineage of Wattinr. The transfer was not a easy one as the fleet was a fresh unit, and it's commander was of a particularly brash and arrogant breed and there were murmurs that 'Wattinree had been promoted too quickly. During the Legion's mustering Ragan was met by the Shipmaster of the vessel, Vekta 'Tagrahee, a well respected naval commander in the Covenant. Ragan knelt and introduced himself and his men to their new commanding officer, as he rose from kneeling he looked into Vekta's eyes and what he saw shocked him. Vekta had the very same eyes as that of his own, and it was at that moment that Ragan knew that this was his father. Ragan took this discovery stoically as it was Sangheili tradition to not know one's father. He continued his duties and took his orders like he would from any commander. Despite that, Ragan still felt natural curiosity towards what his father was like, tradition or no tradition. At times Ragan conversed with Vekta, as much to learn about him as a person as much as him as a commander. Vekta informed him that he was aware that Ragan knew who he is, but has not acted because he believes that he is responsible enough not to expect special treatment to which Ragan affirmed. That being said, Vekta saw no issue with simply talking to Ragan, asking how his mother was doing and the state of Tagrah in his long absence. For the next three months the Fleet continued it's efforts to discover more human worlds. Each time they uncovered a new solar body they scoured the system with sensors for signs of heathen habitation. At the end of the third month of fruitless searching the men were itching for action and 'Wattinree was especially impatient. The situation would soon changed drastically. The Eighth Fleet exited Slipspace and entered another star system, this time their sensors came back positive, sensors and intercepted communications confirmed the presence of human habitation. In fact they confirmed that this had to be a major human world. 'Wattinree was ecstatic and ordered the fleet to move in towards the source of most of the signals, a world referred to as Rhododendron. Many of his fellow Shipmasters spoke out against this saying that it was unwise to rush in without any kind of reconnaissance or forward planning. Ragan was among the loudest of these voices, an act which could have had him executed on the spot if it wasn't for the intervention of Vekta who vouched for him and deflected Hora's wrath. The Fleet Master decried these worries as cowardly and that they should not fear facing the humans, they were holy warriors, they were stronger than feable humans and chosen by the gods, the day would be there's. He planned to tactically slipspace jump close to the planet and not give the humans any time to prepare, using scouts he argued would alert them to their presence. With that, all twenty five ships of the fleet moved towards Rhododendron. Seraph squadrons scrambled, Legions mustered in troop bays, and the Covenant warriors were prepared for battle. Exiting Slipspace just beyond the system's asteroid belt with Rhododendron in sight. What they found was not what they expected. They thought that they would face a unprepared world with only meager defenses. Instead what they found was a major military hub, complete with several fearsome Orbital Defense Platforms and no less than forty cruisers, destroyers, and frigates already almost completely in formation with only only a few other battle groups not in position. They had been detected, the humans had known they were coming and were lying in wait. Hora 'Wattinree ordered they attack anyway, counting on their superior strength and technology to win. Accelerating towards the humans to get into attack range, the Fleet prepared to launch their first volley of plasma torpedoes and energy projectors. To their surprise, the human fleet did the same and advanced forward, not quite matching their speed, but moving towards them none-the-less with their flanks moving to envelope them on three sides. 'Wattinree was enticed by this and ordered the fleet to prepare to engage them at close range. They would blast through the human fleet with their superior shields and weapons. Ragan spoke his mind to Vekta, that 'Wattinree's arrogance was going to lead to unnecessary losses, Vekta was about about to reply when the Commitment and Compunction was rocked by an explosion and the two were thrown off their feet. Monitors and holoscreens blew out or went down and for a moment the bridge was plunged into darkness. When the monitors went back up it was revealed that ships from the rest of the fleet were being similarly struck, which should be impossible as the humans could not be in firing range yet, sensors revealed the true nature of the attack. The fleet had blundered straight into a nuclear minefield. The humans had advanced closer to the fleet to lure them into the minefield. In the vacuum of space, miniature suns lit up in terrible silence as more ships were struck. Harbinger of Transcendence was part of the screen of frigates. Her left side was struck by a nuclear detonation which stripped her of her shields, once more the ship was struck, this time on the right side which devastated her. The damaged proved fatal and before dropships could scramble to rescue the crew secondary explosions from her damaged engines tore the ship apart. Four more ships were destroyed by the mines with others stripped of their shields. The light destroyer Pitiless Reverence was destroyed, followed by the cruiser Triumph and Justice and the frigates Unflinching Spirit and Glorious Faith. Harbinger's sister ship Rising Prayer panicked and attempted to move away from the Harbinger's position to avoid the same fate but instead ran directly into a mine herself, draining her shields and bloodied her, but still alive. However she suddenly fell under a barrage of missiles which unshielded the Rising Prayer was annihilated. The human fleet was on top of them. With the fleet thrown into confusion, the humans fired their first volley of magnetic-accelerated rounds followed by nuclear warheads. The human volley sent four more ships into oblivion. Meanwhile, the Commitment and Compunction was still mostly intact and had avoided most of the enemy's fire but her shields were depleted and they were vulnerable. Their retribution was fierce, with order returning to the fleet they returned fire on the humans. Their plasma torpedoes and energy projectors decimated their ranks and effectively halved their numbers. The Fleet surged forward and broke through their lines and free of their stranglehold. With their tactical grip broken the human fleet was scattered and in retreat. Though Ragan thought that now they would follow suit and retreat, to his horror 'Wattinree ordered the fleet to push ahead towards the planet itself. Out of their twenty five ships they had started with only fifteen remained and yet they were to confront four Orbital Defense Platforms, they had yet to even launch their ground assault. Burning at full speed the fleet moved to close the gap between them and the planet. From their trajectory only one of the Orbital Defense Platforms was in position to defend and opened fire, the cruiser Incorruptible Spirit was shattered, followed by the cruiser Triumph and Justice, Valorous Hope and Incorruptible Salvation who all shielded the Thunder of Triumph. The Commitment and Compunction was about to join them in oblivion as one of the platforms had it's sights on them. But Ragan could only watch in horror as the frigate Twilight Piety moved to intercept the shot and sacrificed itself to save them. Amongst the carnage Ragan whispered a prayer for them. However soon the Covenant were able to close the gap and the remaining ten ships were able to knock down the platform and breached a hole in the orbital defense grid where the other three platforms could not reach. They had already lost too much and determined to avenge their losses Hora 'Wattinree ordered that the fleet descend into low orbit and prepare to invade the planet. They would avenge their fallen by making the planet run red with human blood. The Legions of the Army of Valiant Resolution filed into dropships. Banshees and Seraph squadrons were scrambled and drop pods were ready. Ragan was preparing to deploy to the planet's surface when the ship's sensors detected something coming around the planet's curvature. Nineteen human vessels had hidden behind the planet while the rest of the battle played out. Now the Covenant fleet was in low orbit they had few maneuvering options, they were vulnerable. The incoming human fleet was composed of nine heavy cruisers along with destroyer and frigate escorts, as well as two recognized as the infamous Gog and Magog, and they were heading right for them. In the ensuing battle, the Commitment and Compunction fired on the human fleet but was gutted by a accelerated-round fired by the Magog which destroyed it's fiber-optic cable. Critically damaged, the Commitment and Compunction began falling into the planet's atmosphere and Vekta ordered all hands to abandon ship. While the rest of his unit rushed to the dropships Ragan went back for Vekta but the Shipmaster refused to leave, staying behind to help crash-land the ship and ordered Ragan to leave without him. As the ship fell apart around them Ragan made it to a Phantom and managed to escape the Commitment and Compunction as it plummeted to the surface. Red Days of Rhododendron The Phantom safely made it to the surface but the situation was grim. They were cut off from the rest of the fleet and isolated, stranded on a hostile world, their forces were scattered for miles, and they had no idea who left was still alive. As the sun rose on the first day of the battle they headed for the one place that all their comrades would head for, the Cimmitment and Compunction Zealotry Battle of Bastogne Battle of Actium Battle of New Seattle Fall of Reach Great Schism Stopping a Madman Post War Saving the Sundered Soul New Tranquility Summit Battle of Fell Judgement Reckoning Personality and Traits Personality In his youth Ragan was a imperious and devout believer of the Great Journey, equal parts holy warrior and firebrand. Amongst all of Vhagur Tagrahee's students he was the most enthusiastic, studious, and attentive. As a Zealot Ragan truly lived up to his title, a zealous believer of the Path and vehement persecutor of heretics. Despite his fiery zeal he takes great care for those under his command. After the Battle of Rhododendron more than 80% of his legion was wiped out by disaster after disaster. The loss of almost every one of his childhood friends left him exceptionally sobered. When he wasn't screaming fiery speeches to his men he was a noble commander who did his best to preserve his soldiers even if it meant risking death to go back for them himself. In every way he truly believed in the holiness of their mission to exterminate the humans. But as the years wore on he began to be disturbed by what he considered to be dishonorable actions. To exterminate the defenseless was not the way of a true warrior, Ragan wanted to fight against their armies, to kill and be killed with weapon in hand. But many missions simple ended with glassing or attacks on civilian populations. His mission to New Seattle was especially upsetting when he gunned down an unarmed family. It went against everything that Ragan was to be so "dishonorable". As time went on his ego slowly crumbled and his pride guttered away as he came to see himself as a mere butcher. Nightmares plagued him for years, from the muddy fields of Rhododendron, the dozens of worlds he burned, and that small home on New Seattle. Still he believed in his duty to the Covenant and his gods. It was his faith that kept him alive. When word came that the Prophets had betrayed them, it nearly destroyed him. When the red haze of hatred finally left him he quickly slumped into a deep depression. He realized that everything that his race had done and bled for was for lies, including his own atrocities. He realized that if the Prophets had lied then the humans were not heretics but innocent, which meant that what he did was not for a holy crusade but a political agenda. For a time he had no idea what to do with himself, what his race would do, or how they will reconcile their crimes. But it was after a summit with the humans that fate would have him face someone who has haunted his dreams for years. Emerging from this, he had the epiphany that the Sangheili do not need gods or a purpose to be who they are, living was enough. He still remained guilt ridden for his actions during the war but embraced the coming era with hope. With the threat of the Halo rings still out there and the remnants of the Covenant still at large, Ragan's will to fight was reignited. But this time he fought for his own reasons; to protect his people and eventually atone for his actions. Traits Blade Style Ragan was an excellent swordsmen, following in the traditions of his lineage his style was to be ferocious and above all relentless. In a fight Ragan never allows the enemy to regain their footing or to gather momentum. Relationships Nakio 'Tagrah Isna 'Tagrah Nalo 'Zaharm Shiela Linford Category:Characters Category:Sangheili Category:Human-Covenant War Category:Survivors of the Human-Covenant War